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Standard II: Planning and Designing Learning Environments and Experiences (2000)
Teachers plan and design effective learning environments and experiences supported by technology. Teachers:
A. design developmentally appropriate learning opportunities that apply technology-enhanced instructional strategies to support the diverse needs of learners.
Having taught in an alternative school environment for two years and Special Education for three, I understand the need to provide differentiated instruction for learners based on their individual needs. The Disability Case Study outlines several assistive technologies designed for students with hearing difficulties while the Technology Integration Plan describes how technology would be used in the alternative middle school classroom I was teaching in 2001.
During the time I taught Special Education, I developed this Spelling Practice PowerPoint based on the Stetson spelling curriculum I was using at the time. The teacher was suggested to conduct "See, Say, Spell, Write" study sessions in which each spelling word was briefly displayed on an overhead projector for the entire class to practice. However, by developing this PowerPoint I was able to allow students to work on individual spelling lists based on their needs rather than having the entire class working together on the same list. In my class, each student worked individually at a computer. The PowerPoint was automatically timed to display each word very briefly on the screen. After the word was displayed, the student would say the word aloud, spell the word verbally, then write the word down on paper. When finished, they would check their own papers to see where they needed to improve. See related Standards III.B and VI.B.
B. apply current research on teaching and learning with technology when planning learning environments and experiences.
As I have learned in the course of my studies, using technology for its own sake can actually be counterproductive to learning. Just adding technology to a lesson does not in and of itself make learning meaningful. The Computers Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow WebQuest was meticulously designed to be a cooperative, thoughtful and creative experience. Also, the purpose of this Staff Development Plan is to help train other teachers in my school to be more effective in using technology to enhance learning.
C. identify and locate technology resources and evaluate them for accuracy and suitability.
To be a good teacher, it is not necessary to "reinvent the wheel". Finding resources for teaching is easy, but weeding out the bad ones is a much tougher prospect. The Passkey Software Evaluation, Disability Case Study, Microworld Product Review, and WebQuest Evaluation Report each represent my evaluation of an existing technology resource and how effective it would be if used with students.
D. plan for the management of technology resources within the context of learning activities.
Being a teacher in a technology lab, I always have a computer for each of my students. However, such has not always been the case. While using the Spelling Practice PowerPoint (described at length in Standard II.A), I had five student computers and more than twice that many students. In order to ensure that each student had an opportunity to practice their spelling with the PowerPoint, I created a rotation schedule in which smaller groups of students doing various learning activities. Not only did this manage my limited technology resources but it also varied instruction for my Special Education students who needed activities in smaller "bites".
On a district wide scale this Computer Facilities Survey examined how technology resources are currently being used and I also created a Technology Support Plan to provide additional support and coaching to teachers using technology resources in their classrooms.
E. plan strategies to manage student learning in a technology-enhanced environment.
Student learning is obviously our ultimate goal in using technology in a classroom. The Disability Case Study examines how various technologies can improve learning for students with hearing difficulties. I also developed and conducted a multimedia survey and wrote a Survey Report outlining the results as well as some ways students could learn from creating their own surveys. Finally, my Computers Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow WebQuest includes a detailed rubric framing the learning goals, requirements and expectations for the activity.
Jeffrey T. Young ~ jty6w7@mizzou.edu ~ Updated June 2009